Without the Lobsters
by Assimbya
Summary: The Gryphon muses on his relationship with the Mock Turtle.


It was hard, being friends with the Mock Turtle. It had always been hard, even when they were young and the Mock Turtle was a happy fellow (a real turtle then, and if anyone dared mention the accident which caused him to lose that status nowadays they would be rewarded with gratuitous tears and sobbing from the unfortunate Mock Turtle), for his family was poor, and some of the crueler children said many things about the fact that the Mock Turtle couldn't afford the extra classes. But because of all that, the Mock Turtle needed him, and often it was the Gryphon who reminded the Mock Turtle of all the things he was so wonderful at when the cruel words managed to hurt him.

And there were those, teachers and students alike, who noticed how close the Mock Turtle and Gryphon were, and worried about it. They noticed the way their claws touched as they walked next to each other through the hallways, the way they were always together except for the classes that they did not share. Many a time the Gryphon had been pulled aside to talk to the Old Turtle (who all of them call Tortoise) about 'inappropriate conduct', even though he was never sure what was so wrong about his relationship with the Mock Turtle. They were happy, and wasn't that what mattered?

And they were some things that the Mock Turtle was wonderful at. His singing voice was beautiful, and the Gryphon liked to just sit down and close his eyes and let the sound of it overwhelm him, making him feel as though all was right with the world. He could just sit there forever, listening to the Mock Turtle sing, and be completely content.

But best of all were the dances.

Both of them loved the Lobster Quadrille, and eagerly looked forward to every Sunday when everyone in that area of the sea would line up on the seashore and begin to dance with the lobsters. At first they were both very bad at it, but eventually they began practicing together, and indeed began doing so every free moment they had. The Gryphon often found himself humming the music to it during classes, when he really should have been concentrating. He also knew that the Lobster Quadrille was meant to be done with lobsters, but he enjoyed dancing it with the Mock Turtle far too much to give that up. And eventually he found that he was enjoying dancing with the Mock Turtle alone after classes, with the Mock Turtle's melodic voice singing the music, than the huge gatherings that took place every Sunday, with a full band playing the music and an anonymous lobster with his arms around him as they danced awkwardly. There was _beauty _in dancing with the Mock Turtle, with being so close to him, enveloped in the music and the sense of his friend; their eyes locked together, no one there to bother them.

That was what really mattered. Not what anyone else said, not how much money the Mock Turtle's family had, not even his grades in Reeling, Writhing and Arithmetic.

But as they got older, things got even more difficult. When they were young, his relationship with the Mock Turtle could be written off as one of those odd close relationships children develop, but when they were old enough that the Classics Master had to come along as a chaperone at the Sunday dances of the Lobster Quadrille, there really was no excuse.

The only person who was understanding was the Drawling Master. He would let them stay in his classroom after classes were over, and they would practice the Lobster Quadrille together there, or sometimes the Mock Turtle would sing. The Drawling Master didn't care as long as the Mock Turtle always did his homework for that class. Many a time the Gryphon wished he had taken the Drawling Master's class rather than Classics, even though the Mock Turtle loved the Classics and told him he ought to appreciate it more.

Then, soon after they got out of school, the accident happened, and the Mock Turtle became a Mock Turtle for the first time.

No one would speak to him except for the Gryphon, and then, of course, no one would speak to the Gryphon. And so the Gryphon decided that it was time for both of them to leave.

They traveled for a while, and then found a land called Wonderland. It was everything they could have imagined and more. No one even batted an eyelash at how close the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon were. In fact, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare had a relationship that was similar, if not even more overt. They were both as happy as they could be, even if the Mock Turtle did go into fits of sobbing every now and then.

But they didn't dance the Lobster Quadrille.

Until, one day, a pretty young girl with yellow hair who wore a neat, blue and white dress, started asking them about things. They began reminiscing about their school days, all the good memories pouring out, and none of the bad. Of course, the Lobster Quadrille came up, and they began discussing it excitedly. There was a flush in the Mock Turtle's cheeks, the way there had been when he passionately discussed the ethical and unethical uses of Uglification. And eventually the Mock Turtle said "Come, let's try the first figure! We can do it without the lobsters, you know. Which shall sing?"

This was what the Gryphon wanted, had wanted for a long time, but he made his voice sound unconcerned. "Oh, _you _sing, I've forgotten the words." This was a lie of course, but he wanted to heard the Mock Turtle sing those familiar words again.\

And so they put their arms around each other and began dancing again, finally complete, as the Mock Turtle's voice washed over the Gryphon.

_Will you walk a little faster? said a whiting to snail,_

_There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail._

_See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!_

_They are waiting on the shingle – will you come and join the dance?_

_Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?_

_Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?_

_You can really have no notion how delightful it will be,_

_When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters out to sea!_

_But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance –_

_Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance._

_Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance._

_Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance._

_What matters it how far we go? His scaly friend replied._

_There is another shore, you know, upon the other side._

_The further we are from England, the nearer we are to France –_

_So look not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance!_

_Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?_

_Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?_


End file.
